In early February, the International Code Council’s Evaluation Service (ICC-ES) approved the use of structural insulated panels (SIPs) on the West Coast where high-risk seismic zones exist (Seismic Categories D1, D2, and E.) This is good news for building professionals of all types and homebuyers who want a stronger, safer home with the inherent energy savings and comfort homes built with SIPs provide.
In a collaborative effort facilitated by SIPA on behalf of the industry, partnered with Premier Building Systems, Tolko Industries, the ICC-ES, and the APA - The Engineered Wood Association (APA) proposed the revision to the current Acceptance Criteria, AC04, and established a testing protocol in concert with the other collaborators. In APA’s initial testing, it completed a series of cyclic shear wall tests on SIPs, repeatedly subjecting them to varying degrees of load magnitude and amplitude. Then it compared those results to code-accepted, conventional wood framed shear walls. The results show that SIPs have cyclic performance characteristics similar to or better than stick-built walls.
Tom Williamson, APA’s vice-president of quality assurance and technical services, explains, “We did cyclic testing and found that it did provide for what’s permitted by the codes for residential construction, and therefore at the last ICC-ES hearing it was approved as part of the Acceptance Criteria. Now SIPA members can approach testing laboratories such as APA to conduct this test on their structural insulated panels."
“The APA testing protocol will enable SIPA member manufacturers to demonstrate that their panels meet the cyclic load test criteria adopted by the ICC-ES,” According to Bill Wachtler, SIPA’s Executive Director. “Now SIPs can be used everywhere in the U.S., including the previously inaccessible West Coast states and Alaska. That’s good news for our members and for their customers.”

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